Estefania Reyes Sablan, Nicolas Blas Reyes, Juliana Reyes Lizama, Francisco Blas Reyes, Rosa Reyes Agulto v. Rita Reyes Santos

Appellant Rita Reyes Santos appeals from the judgment of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands awarding appellees a two-thirds interest in all payments made pursuant to an award of the Micronesian Claims Commission (the Commission). The question presented is whether this court or the three-judge appellate division of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands has jurisdiction over an appeal from a decision of the district court rendered with respect to a question of local, rather than federal, law. We hold that this court is without jurisdiction to entertain such an appeal.

The Micronesian Claims Act of 1971 (the Act), 50 U.S.C.App. § 2018 et seq. (repealed 1976), created a fund to compensate Micronesians for losses incurred during World War II, and established the Commission to administer the fund. The present case involves part of an award made by the Commission and a family dispute as to who should share in the award.

In addition to the jurisdiction conferred by federal law upon district courts (which would include review of Commission action), the district court is given original jurisdiction over all civil matters arising under local law which are not…